The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-06-20
Why workmen Are Not Fully EN-
p'oyed.

Some very important facts belong
ing to the labor question have been
developed by the Illinois Bureau Of
Labor Statistics. This body in its
latest report shows that of the work
ingmen in that state only 20 per cent
are employed full time, and So per
cent work less than half time. Those
who get less than 40 weeks work are
65 per cent of the whole; and those
who get only from Is to 80 weeks
wages in the year 80 per cent OF the
whole, 30,45l in number. The conclu-
sion drawn from these rather MOURN
full figures, by the report, is that they
supply a strong argument for the re-
duction of the hours of daily labor:
the idea being that, as there is only
Just so much WORK to be done, the di-
minution of the time spent in doing it
will have the effect to permit the
larger employment OF men now not
fully employed. This notion, it will
be observed, is simply development
of the theory that there is overpro-
duction Of the fruits of labor; that
men now make more than men can
consume, and that, as too much
wealth is produced, idle or half idle
persons cannot find use for their
powers except by decreasing the time
in which all others are employed.
Now, we venture the assertion that
these conclusions and the theory from
which they are drawn are. wholly
apart from the truth and absolutely
defiant of the first principles of econ
omy. 1t may be laid down as fun
damental fact, beyond the reach of
controversy, that there never has
been and that there never will be any
such thing as overproduction of the
general mass Of things upon which
human industry expends ITSELF The
reason for this is that there cannot
possibly DO q creation of too much
wealth until human desire is COM
pletely satisfied, and human desire for
good things is all appetite which
grows constantly with the materials
upon which it feeds. That all men do
not now have enough is fact which
needs no demonstration. The COM
plant of these Illinois workmen is
that they do not or cannot get
enough-not that they or any of their
kindred and acquaintances have too
much. If they and millions of others
cannot fully supply their wants at a
time when multitudes of men are COM
plaing that, for their part, they cannot
find opportunity 10 go to work to
create such supply, then, manifestly,
the trouble is not that too many are
working and producing too much, but
that there is some grave and scan
dalous defect in the social and COM
mercial machinery which operates
under the pressure OF supply and de-
mand. This is as clear as sunlight to
every man who thinks.
What, then, is the matter? We think
we have at least partial answer to that
question. We must, Of course, put
aside the cases Of men whose business
is of such o kind that it cannot be
pursued constan thy, as, for example,
bricklayers and masons, against whom
is the fact that their work can hardly
be done in wintry weather. The mat
ter must be considered in general
way, on broad grounds; and we de-
clare that the first thing to be consid-
cred as the greatest and worst and
most destructive enemy of the work
man is the rum traffic. Let us leave
out Of the question the moral aspects
of that business, and regard II wholly
from an economical standpoint.
In the report issued last month by
the Bureau of Statistics at Washing
ington, it is shown that the total an
nual expenditure for malt and spiritu-
GUS liquors at retail in the United
States is $700000,000, and that the
drinking population includes about
Is, 100000 persons. According 10 the
census of 1880 (the most recent aud &C
curate source Conformation we have),
the total annual product of four great
industries in this country is as follows:
Clothing, mems and women's s241 ,553,254
Cotton goods. ............... 2l0,950,3S
Wooden goods ................ 100 6O0,I2
Iron and steel. @0,ooI,0
Comparing these figures with those
given above by the bureau of statis-
Tics, we find that the money squander-
cd for rum by our people was more
than three times greater than that ex-
pended for ready made clothing; that
it was in excess of the value OF the
total combined product OF the cotton,
wooden, and iron and steel industries,
and not much less than the value of
the product of all four OF the indus
tries named. OF the fifteen million
persons who wasted this vast sum,
each man expended nearly one dollar
week in gratifying base appetite.
Every dollar Of all this money was just